Every part of the Bible was written in sections. Just like an author writing a regular piece of prose, the books were pieced together through the thoughts of the author. But in our case with the Bible, the thoughts are from God, and the Author is God. The writers... well, they are the ones with the pens; or quills, or whatever they used.
Did you know, however, that there were no divisions in the Bible when it was first written? Except for the collections of Psalms (being split into different writings then compiled later into one book) and other than the fact that each book was written separate entirely (perhaps except for the Pentateuch (Genesis - Deuteronomy), there were no numbered verses or chapter divisions. Editors and printers have systematically inserted a numbering system into the Bible to break it down and make it easier to read. There was nothing wrong with it, but that's where we got lazy. The books were meant to be read in one sitting. The people of Israel read through the entire Pentateuch on certain occasions (in other times they only read certain parts).
I was told to do this by a teacher from CFNI, and I've been doing this for a while now... at least, when I do sit down for long enough to read this way... and even when I don't, I feel I'm missing something by not doing so.
But I challenge you... read Ephesians.. straight through. All the way, for 30 days. Don't read anything else out of the Bible except Ephesians.. maybe a Psalm or Proverb or something. But read that.. for 30 days and see what you get. When you link it together in your brain, the theme and what the author was trying to say come out boldly and clearly. That's when the change happens.
When a chapter starts with "Therefore," what is it talking about? It's talking about what it just went over in the previous chapter. You should never start a reading with a "Therefore." You have to go back and see what the "therefore" is referring to, or you could be in error in your interpretation.
Try it. It will change your life. After Ephesians.. go for Romans. I PROMISE the book will make A LOT more sense. :)
Saturday, December 18, 2010
Saturday, December 11, 2010
Dry Land
Blog-readers... I guess I could be a little un-mundane and tell you something I never realized until earlier today. My friend in high school... Daniel, was his name. He was probably my best friend, but I was so interested in trying to be popular, (never really succeeded.. A.D.D. probably had a hand in that) that although we had the most in common and most fun hanging out, neglected really spending time with him as much as I could have... I took his sister to the prom, though we went as friends (she was cute) and then she died in a tragic car accident a few years later.
I sat next to him at the funeral.. but I honestly can't remember doing much with him. I wish I had, because shirking the idiocy that comes with trying to be something you're not brings a nugget of self-respect. Who knows.. I may have ended up doing something, instead of chasing what I thought I should have been doing. So here I am, barely having finally pulled free of the riptide dragging me away from shore. Finally having broken free, I'm no longer treading water, but swimming toward a shore I know to be just over the horizon. I do not know the shore yet, or what it looks like, but I know it's there, and it's time to stand on solid ground. I've been bobbing to and fro, mouth barely catching the surface, for far too long.
Thanks be to God alone who has given me the strength to keep my head above water in this mess. He's pulling me out and pointing me in the right direction. The shore is there, I just need to get on land.
I sat next to him at the funeral.. but I honestly can't remember doing much with him. I wish I had, because shirking the idiocy that comes with trying to be something you're not brings a nugget of self-respect. Who knows.. I may have ended up doing something, instead of chasing what I thought I should have been doing. So here I am, barely having finally pulled free of the riptide dragging me away from shore. Finally having broken free, I'm no longer treading water, but swimming toward a shore I know to be just over the horizon. I do not know the shore yet, or what it looks like, but I know it's there, and it's time to stand on solid ground. I've been bobbing to and fro, mouth barely catching the surface, for far too long.
Thanks be to God alone who has given me the strength to keep my head above water in this mess. He's pulling me out and pointing me in the right direction. The shore is there, I just need to get on land.
Thursday, December 9, 2010
Bucket List 31-40
- Go on a cross country road tripThis item can coincide (and probably will) with the "visit every state" list item. My preference is to take Route 66 from one end to the other.. but I haven't really researched the route and so far it's placement on my preference for road trip routes is merely there for historical and popularity reasons. Depending on whether or not I really research this, or simply string together several things I'd really like to go see, it may be completely different or not. It doesn't have to be done a certain way, certainly not in an RV, more than likely in a convertible, and with at least 1 other person. This one isn't that hard to plan.. and probably wouldn't cost an arm and a leg. No hotels, if possible, camping out is cheaper and more fun. It'll probably be around a week and a half.Needs for the trip:- vehicle- suitable co-tripper- food.... can't eat out the whole time- gas- route
Estimated cost: $500...Date of Completion: 2013
- Go rock climbingThis one is something I've done before.. but only in an inside facility. What will cross this off the list is going rock climbing in Mineral Wells State Park. They're actual rocks, but I don't know if I'll need my own gear to climb there. So I'll have to do a little research.
Needs:- perhaps my own gear
Estimated cost: $50-175Date of Completion: 2012
- Go on a safariThis one will definitely take a little more planning. I want this one to be protracted now that I think about it. I've decided, (between numbers 2 and 3.. haha.. ) that everything I do will have something to do with bringing people closer to God. Whether I am on a missions trip.. or just talking to them or giving of myself to them. So I want this safari to incorporate some sort of missions trip in the midst of it. I really want to see the Savannah of Africa.. see the giraffes, elephants, lions, zebras.. the way God created them.. roaming and wandering about. This world is God's aquarium/terrarium and and everything is balanced. I love that symmetry and beauty. I once had a jar with dirt and a couple of plants in it.. the lid got stuck and I couldn't get it off. Well, things continued to grow. The little spider or whatever was in there breathed the oxygen and gave off carbon dioxide to the plants who in turn produced the oxygen. I can honestly STILL (I was 7 or 8.. it was on Rowena St) remember the exact smell of damp, raw, clean oxygen when the lid finally loosed itself from the jar. This world is God's terrarium. No outside influences are needed to keep it going.. because God created it with His Master hand.
Needs:- passport- ideal clothing- good pair of hiking shoes- Bibles in whatever language is spoken where I'm going- money for touring, etc.Cost: +$1,000s?
Estimated Date of Completion: 2020
- Visit Victoria FallsI could probably Google this and know the answer, but I'm not leaving this page until this blog is finished, so I'm not going to. It may be one of those things that takes place during another Bucket List cross-off, but until I figure that out, I'm treating it as separate.
Needs:- passport- ideal clothing- money for touring- BiblesCost: $750s?
Estimated Date of Completion: 2018
- Dive the Great Barrier ReefThis one is near Australia.. I know that much for sure. I can become certified here at the school, and there is a decent chance I could even do some sort of summer work at the Barrier Reef.. though I doubt I'll take it. I really look forward to this, as I have a huge interest in sea life.
Needs:- scuba gear (rental most probably)- passportCost: $1000
Estimated Date of Completion: 2017 - See Angel FallsThis one will be taken care of with another.. that or Victoria Falls will be. One of these is in Zimbabwe.. the other is in South America.. can't remember.
Needs:- passport- good shoes- BiblesCost: $1500
Estimated Date of Completion: 2019
- Climb the Statue of LibertyI've recently discovered that this one is relatively cheap. To climb all the way to the top of the Statue of Liberty is only $5 extra than it is to actually go to the island. Since you have to make reservations months in advance to visit the Statue of Liberty and only a very small number are allowed to go inside the Statue per day.. it may be a year in the wings before I can do this one, even if I called today. The costs will be relatively small, considering.. since I've driven to New York before.. staying just outside the city is relatively cheap. Once you get into Manhattan, it's mainly walking and subway riding from that point anyway. In my estimation and experience, however, bring some good shoes.
Needs:- Time- Gas money or plane ticketCost: $300
Estimated time for Completion: 2011
- See Mount RushmoreWell, at least as far as this set of 10 is concerned, this should be the easiest on the list to mark off. Mount Rushmore is in South Dakota... quite possibly the cheapest place in this group to get to and stay for a while. I'll probably try to find a few things to do while up there.. maybe travelling into Canada for a couple of days, or visiting where Custer's Last Stand took place.
Needs:- basic road trip suppliesCost: $200
Estimated Date of Completion: 2012
- Visit a castleThis one will definitely be taken care of when I go to Scotland to see the beautiful British Islands. I want to see the White Cliffs of Dover and various other places on the islands.
Needs:- passport- travelling set upCost: $1250
Estimated Date of Completion: 2016
- Visit the Pyramids of GizaThe last of the ancient wonders of the world.. These massive structures were built when the Hebrews were living in Egypt under the oppressive hand of the Egyptians. To see these has always been something I've wanted to do. I'll probably do this when I visit Israel.. so I'll lump that in with that visit.
Needs:- separate passport (one for Israel one for everywhere else)- comfortable clothing and shoesCost: $2,500
Estimated Date until Completion: 2025
Sunday, November 28, 2010
Bucket List 21-30
- Learn the guitar.This isn't something I think will take a lifetime, but it is something I want to work on for a lifetime. I want to learn to finger-pick... so I know that will take longer, though I'm not really sure how long. My initial goal, lofty as it may seem, is to be able to play for my kids... preferably the song at the end of this link:
Estimated Date to Learn the Song: 2015
- Learn the piano
Be able to play and sing this song, "When The Praises Start" by Keith Green. Playing is one thing.. playing and singing requires a bit more proficiency at the art. I'm hoping to be able to get a lot of practice time and have this one taken care of pretty soon. The link to the song is here:
Date of Completion: 2012
- Sing in Les Miserables on stageThis is one I'm not sure about. Some people might call this a pipe dream, since it takes a relative mastery of singing skill to sing on public stage in the first place... and singing in Les Miserables has got to be one of the highlights of any thespian's acting career. That said.. I'm sure there's a chance somewhere. My goal is to have get one of four parts: Jean Valjean, Marius, Javert or Enjolras. To play as Marius or Enjolras, I'd need to get the part in the next 3-5 years.. the other parts, I could take much longer.
Most Likely Completion Date: 2018
- Go snorkelingThis one won't be hard to do, in fact, I could probably do this virtually anywhere there is water. But I want to do this at an ocean somewhere.. The other requirement is being at an ocean that is good for snorkeling. I don't know if I've been to one yet. So it will require going to certain kind of beach.. (which I've been looking forward to anyway).
Date I Want This Finished: 2013
- Go white water raftingI've been white water rafting once.. it was actually white water canoeing.. with my parents and Shelva on the Spring River in Arkansas... Honestly, it has to be one of my favorite memories.. though I don't remember much. I do know that growing up, I was a pretty selfish child in my worldview. I didn't for a moment consider the fact that we went on that trip (or many others) because my parents wanted to go, but because it would be fun for me. I want to take my parents on some sort of vacation they'd love one of these days.. But I digress.
Date of Most Probable Completion: 2014
- Go on a cruiseThis is the vacation I may take my parents on.. Though I'd want it to be a 2 week cruise.. up from the California coast to Alaska, then back. Or maybe I'll just fly them to Hawaii. Who knows.
Date of Most Probable Completion: 2016
- Go surfingThis one will be way too much fun to keep unfulfilled for very long. I actually want to own a surfboard when this one is wiped off, so it may be a little longer than just.. grabbing a piece of wood and jumping in the water for a few minutes. It will also probably be after I move to California.
Date of Most Probable Completion: 2018
- Ride in a hot air balloonThis one is quite self-explanatory, so I don't see the need to flesh out the details. I think there are lots of festivals in August and October where the possibility may present itself. But I don't want to get in one and go up then down in some "Oh wow.. I'm off the ground, look how little you are - take that gravity!" moment. I want to get in a hot air balloon in Point A, leave, then arrive at Point B... somewhere else.
Desired Completion Date: 2020
- Go paraglidingHmm, this one will require some planning, probably take place after the move and sounds like a LOT of fun. It's also probably quite expensive.. $100 or so.. Hm. So I'm not sure when it'll happen.
Probable Date of Completion: 2019
- Go on a cross country road tripThis one could be crossed off already, except for the fact that I'm starting with a clean slate and want this to be some subsequent cross-country road trip, as opposed to the ones I've already traveled on. It doesn't really matter where, and it doesn't have to be from the tip of Maine to the tip of California or whatever.. but it do require some awesome pictures along the way. Just typing this one out brought back some amazing memories.
Most Probable Date of Completion: 2014
Saturday, November 27, 2010
Bucket List 11-20
- Design and build my dream houseSince I put the date at owning horses around March 2017, I'm going to set the date for having this item completed at around August 2016. (Looks like I'll have to add stables to my designs.) Counting backwards from there, I'd say the build will take around 4 months... making April of the same year marking the end of design, planning and purchasing (contracting, getting permits and whatever else is needed).
Most Probable Date of Completion: April 2017.
- Send someone to the nations as a missionaryThis one could be a bit cloudy, but I want to make it clear what this actually means. This isn't just about me sending money to support someone who is already in the field, and it's not about me training and sending someone myself. It could be as simple as knowing someone who is raising support and lending a hand, or supporting someone fully. At length, this is another one I believe won't be a "one-and-done" item on the list. I really want to be led to support lots of missionaries to the field. Maybe next year.
Most Probable Date of First Sending: June 2011.
- Lead someone to the LordThis has got to be in the top ten of all the items on the list.. if not #1. The preference is that this item would be repeated over and over.. but I do have to add a caveat. For this item to be crossed off the list, the person would need to be discipled after their conversion for a year. Not that I'd put that requirement to the person or even say that is the requirement for someone to be saved, but that's the goal I'm setting for myself.. not only to get a decision here or there, but to commit myself to the people God ministers to through me, to help them walk the walk through their first year, up to and even through helping them lead someone to the Lord and become a discipler as well..2 Timothy 2:2 "And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable men who will also be qualified to teach others."
I would love this one to take place any day now.. but due to stipulations, the actual cross-off date would be at least a year from now.. so.. December 2011 or January 2012..
- Ride a gondola in VeniceThis one will be easy if I'm able to go to Croatia next summer for some form of missions trip. Venice is just across the Adriatic from the country and I imagine we could take a quick trip over there for a day of sightseeing while on the trip. So, I hope to finish this in the summer of next year.
Most Probable Date of Completion: Summer 2011.
- Go to a Renaissance fairThe only thing stopping me from heading out to one of these is finding out when they are held. I do know they happen every year and that there are several in the DFW area.. so it shouldn't be a hard thing to make this happen next year.
Most Probable Date of Completion: 2011.
- Complete a marathonThis one depends a lot of how much I'm able to train. I want to work on my running stamina and endurance for the next year and do the White Rock Marathon next December. This year it's December 5th (which is my birthday) but it takes at least a year to train for one and I'd really rather run the entire thing as opposed to walking/running the thing.
Most Probable Date of Completion: December 2011.
- Learn to danceThis one may be one of those that continue throughout my lifetime. But I need to put up some requirements that, when met, make it able to be crossed off at some point. I think in the next couple of months, I'll select three types of dance. When I know enough to pass myself as decent on a dance floor in all three, I'll consider this item X'ed.
Most Probable Date of Completion: June 2020.
- Go water skiingThis one will require either owning a boat, or knowing someone who does. Since neither of those exist at the moment, I'm thinking it will take just a bit. However, since I do not want to be very much older when I'm out there careening through the water at 30 mph, I need to bump this up a little.
Most Probable Date of Completion: August 2014.
- Go ice skatingThis one will be very easy, and I want to have this one taken care of within a month. So, I really don't need to say anything else.
Date to Lace up the Skates: December 2010.
- Go snow skiingThis one not so easy. Once I'm out in California, I imagine (since there are mountains all around) I will be able to find a place to ski sometime fairly soon afterwards, if it isn't incredibly busy.
Most Probable Date of Completion: February 2018.
Bucket List 1-10
- Finish my degreeSo, this one is pretty easy. I get financial aid, so as long as I can continue to make the grades and work enough to pay for food, car payment, insurance, phone, etc... I should have this one taken care of in 3 years. The classes are tough and a lot of the 3000 classes are 3 hours per day... each.
Most Probable Date of Completion: We're looking at a probable graduation date around May 2013.
- Become a best-selling authorThis one is a lot harder. First, I have to get a book published. Then I have to somehow get decent enough advertising or get enough of a grass-roots movement to become popular, then sell more.. rinse and repeat several times. So, I'm going to say.. if my first book is a moderate success.. my second could have the same success.. then I think by the third, I'll have rep enough to sell.. and it'll hit the list.
Most Probable Date of Completion: I'm going to say 10 years on this one. 2020.
- Turn book into a movieNow, this one could be even easier than becoming a best-selling author. Since I'm a film major and my end game is to direct, when I graduate I'll have the prerogative to choose what I want to do. Now whether I get a job working on movies with someone else, doing them myself or working in some other field entirely, I'll at least have the knowledge to do it myself. Even if I worked on it for five years after I graduate (or even some while I'm in school... it could be sooner than the best-selling author date est.)
Most Probable Date of Completion: I'll give this one 7 years. 2017. - Climb to the top of a mountainI think it depends on what mountain I decide to aim for. If I'm going for Pike's Peak.. it may be this year. But I'm thinking of something a little more substantial.... Maybe Mt. McKinley in Alaska.. or perhaps Mt. Kilimanjaro in Africa. I'll probably make this one a little more difficult... like add multiple mountains to the list. But for now, I'll give myself 3 years to climb the first.
Most Probable Date of Completion: 2013.
- Visit different countriesThis one I really want to do next year. I'm really setting my sights on Croatia, but it'll take a bit of planning since I'd rather take a little group over to do some sort of ministry or outreach. Probably mixing a group of UTA students with Antioch-Dallas / Christ Fellowship people..
Most Probable Date of Completion: 2011
- Visit every state, not just travel throughI'm going to have to make this one my far into the future one. Basically because if I finish all of these 100 things in 10 years I'll have nothing left to do for the rest of my life.. and I can't have that happen. So, seeing as I've been (and done something significant in) these states:I've lived in: Texas, Arkansas, Florida, Virginia.Vacationed in: California (San Diego Zoo), Arizona (Grand Canyon), New York (City/twice, Broadway), Colorado (Church Camp), Missouri (Silver Dollar City), Tennessee (Cabin in the Smokey Mountains), New Mexico (Carlsbad Caverns), Georgia (Church Camp).Visited friends in: Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Oregon, Louisiana, Michigan
This leaves: Washington, Nevada, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma, Minnesota, Iowa, Wisconsin, Mississippi, Alabama, South Carolina, North Carolina, Ohio, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, District of Columbia, Maryland, Delaware, New Jersey, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Vermont, Maine, Alaska, Hawaii, Utah.
Barring the fact that half of these states have nothing I'd really be incredibly interested in seeing (your comments and suggestions are welcome) I could be one of those RVing grandparents roaming the countryside to find something fun to do when I'm 90.
...I doubt it.
Most Probable Date of Completion: 2040
- Get marriedI have virtually no control over this one. At least, not until I meet the girl. There are many girls I've met in the past few days, weeks, months, etc.. who have made me look twice just in the instance something happened... but I haven't had that gut "this is her, go after her with everything" feeling yet. Now, this isn't to say someone I've already met isn't that girl (I get the feeling I've met her... or at least know her) but the feeling just hasn't come to fullness yet. So, I'm going to give the control of this one over to God... though I do want children, and that by itself makes me stick the timeline on this one around 2 to 4 years.
Most Probable Date of Partnership: May 2013
- Have a childNow, if we're subscribing to the May 2013 date for being married.. I'd have to give it at least a year .5 for the first child.. with that being completely up to mutual consent and decision, barring a miraculous intervention of God for some sort of precursor. So...
My Best Guess for Fruition: September 2014
- Sell a painting for over $1000Hmm... since I want to paint some sort of masterpiece ... I'd say this is definitely one of those life-long quests. Though $1,000 isn't an enormous amount of money, especially when talking about originals. So, masterpieces aside (that one is a few numbers up the list), I'd say this one is imminent... albeit a couple of years imminent.
Most Probable Date of Completion: 2012
- Own horsesWell, this one is inexorably linked to #11 which just so happens to be on the next page. So whatever date I place on this page will justifiably be a date farther down the line than #11.. so I have to take that into account. Since the dream I had showed my wife, our child and I still fairly young (and in my mind it felt 5 years.. ) I'm going to say.. 2015.
Besides, even today I look 5 years younger than I actually am. ;)
Most Probable Date of Completion: March 2017. I have to get the house finished first...
Friday, November 26, 2010
What It's Going To Take
Well, for the next 10 blogs, I'm going to take 10 items from my bucket list and detail (with links or pictures or whatever) what it will take for each item to be completed. Then if anyone wants to know a birthday or Christmas list... they need only consult the blog. :) jk
Well, the next one may be something unrelated to the bucket list altogether, but I highly recommend it.
Well, the next one may be something unrelated to the bucket list altogether, but I highly recommend it.
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
The Count of Monte Cristo
..... um.. yeah. It's 3 inches thick. Just the sight of this book made my mouth fall open. It's huge. Over 1,000 pages. I hope it lends to some sort of knowledge or smartness before I'm finished. Up to page 40 now.. nothing entirely new to impart except for the fact that Alexander Dumas is INCREDIBLY thorough in every minute detail.
More to come.
More to come.
Monday, November 22, 2010
For the Girls.. How to find your perfect guy.
I've never actually typed this up, so I'll put it here.
Okay girls.. after this, don't say I never warned you... So men are like lions. Take it from me.. I know us. The male lion is a pretty lazy creature. He usually sleeps or reclines underneath a tree .. somewhere around 20 hours a day. That's a lot of laziness. Some smart nature people say it's because it's so hot in the middle of the African savannah, but you know..
So, the lion gets hungry.. he glances over and sees a herd of gazelle grazing nearby and he jumps up.. stalks the gazelle, gets as close as he can.. pounces if possible, but under most conditions (unless the gazelle wants to get caught, or is sick or lame (infer what you will)) chases the gazelle around a bit until he can pull it down from behind. The killing over, the lion usually drags the gazelle back to his tree, eats until he's full and falls back asleep.
Here is the parallel. A guy will do anything to get a girl. He will chase her, take her out, spend money on her, talk to her, work hard, play hard... and then, once he's got the girl, he goes back to lay under the tree.
Moral of the story: Find a guy you love while he's laying under the tree (not trying to "get" you) If you find that guy.. you'll be happy.
Basically, you need to do some research. Girls if you want a guy who will lead you spiritually, don't get the guy who walks in halfway through service and sits or stands in the back row... He won't change just because you start dating him.... well, maybe he will for 6 months. etc.. just apply to whatever situation.
Basically ladies, you are the ones choosing. The guy is the one courting. You are the prize. And if you're the prize, you'd better make yourself hard to get.. I don't mean make yourself unavailable, I mean raise your standards. If he asks you out, give him a chance.. say yes. But when you go out, you need to keep your eyes open and heart shut. Until you know him better.
The Bible says to guard your heart.. it doesn't say that because the heart is delicate.. it says that because the heart will blind wisdom. That word to guard means to tie it down so it can't move you. Don't let yourself be moved until wisdom gives the okay.
Okay girls.. after this, don't say I never warned you... So men are like lions. Take it from me.. I know us. The male lion is a pretty lazy creature. He usually sleeps or reclines underneath a tree .. somewhere around 20 hours a day. That's a lot of laziness. Some smart nature people say it's because it's so hot in the middle of the African savannah, but you know..
So, the lion gets hungry.. he glances over and sees a herd of gazelle grazing nearby and he jumps up.. stalks the gazelle, gets as close as he can.. pounces if possible, but under most conditions (unless the gazelle wants to get caught, or is sick or lame (infer what you will)) chases the gazelle around a bit until he can pull it down from behind. The killing over, the lion usually drags the gazelle back to his tree, eats until he's full and falls back asleep.
Here is the parallel. A guy will do anything to get a girl. He will chase her, take her out, spend money on her, talk to her, work hard, play hard... and then, once he's got the girl, he goes back to lay under the tree.
Moral of the story: Find a guy you love while he's laying under the tree (not trying to "get" you) If you find that guy.. you'll be happy.
Basically, you need to do some research. Girls if you want a guy who will lead you spiritually, don't get the guy who walks in halfway through service and sits or stands in the back row... He won't change just because you start dating him.... well, maybe he will for 6 months. etc.. just apply to whatever situation.
Basically ladies, you are the ones choosing. The guy is the one courting. You are the prize. And if you're the prize, you'd better make yourself hard to get.. I don't mean make yourself unavailable, I mean raise your standards. If he asks you out, give him a chance.. say yes. But when you go out, you need to keep your eyes open and heart shut. Until you know him better.
The Bible says to guard your heart.. it doesn't say that because the heart is delicate.. it says that because the heart will blind wisdom. That word to guard means to tie it down so it can't move you. Don't let yourself be moved until wisdom gives the okay.
Friday, November 19, 2010
To Kill A Mockingbird -- Harper Lee (1)
Well, I'll start off giving this book the number 1 ranking before I even tally up the points. (I've even forgotten what the point system was.. I'll have to go back and look.
Harper Lee weaved this marvelously beautiful book together through the eyes of a child, Scout, with an amazing air of warmth and feeling. This book makes me want to increase my vocabulary. I be able to employ all of the words she uses when writing.. all of the four and five syllable words that we seem to lose in everyday language. We hear a lot about all the words we gain every year in the new dictionaries.. (blog, internet, etc) but never realize that our language is actually losing far more than it's gaining. When the settlers first arrived in the colonies, the English language had an average of 6,000 everyday words. Our vocabulary now is around 2,000 everyday words. This isn't to say we don't use other words... but we don't use other words on the level we use those 2,000.
She uses all of these and more. Based in and around 1935, "Mockingbird" is about the coming of age for children in a Southern town filled with seemingly inescapable class characterizations, racial tension and rape. The South itself plays a large role in the language and lifestyle of characters portrayed, as well as the North's handling of the South since Reconstruction ended. I strongly recommend this book to anyone to read.
Now, once again, the all important rating:
Flow: The book flowed effortlessly through the chapters, though Harper Lee uses a definite dividing line between chapters. She ends each chapter with a good line, then starts the next seemingly (sometimes) in the middle of a story as if we'd been there the entire time. I compare it to the needle on a record player skipping. For those too young to know what that means.. think of it as a CD skipping. ;) -- 9
Believability: Since most of the book was taken from her memories as a child and the trial itself was taken from something she'd heard about in 1936, the book is definitely believable. I think the most believable thing about it, however, is the way she writes. -- 9
Suspension of Reality: You can hear, see and smell the characters. When Scout brings cold corn bread to Dill to eat, I could taste it.. though I think I was probably hungry.. Point is, when I picked the book up, I almost felt the need to tell them I'd be back later... anyway. -- 9
Message: The book is so popular it has never been out of print. That is something to say. At the same time, only 6 literary studies have been done on it, and whether there have been more compelling journals or novels out there to pick from and it has simply been unlucky, I think that may be because they felt no need to defend it. It's so popular, why bother talking about it. People read studies when the ones writing them bring controversy to the table. And unless a literary study is talking about how horrible the book is, there would be none. There are so many messages in this book, the coming of age of a young boy and girl in a different era, racial tensions reflected in deciding between a black man on trial for allegedly raping a white woman, social structures, religion... -- 9
Intrinsics: All in all.... I don't know how much more to say about the book. I loved it. The language was mesmerizing and makes me want to read the dictionary... not just to see the words and understand them, but to know them. To put them to everyday usage. -- 10
Total: 46 of 50
Harper Lee weaved this marvelously beautiful book together through the eyes of a child, Scout, with an amazing air of warmth and feeling. This book makes me want to increase my vocabulary. I be able to employ all of the words she uses when writing.. all of the four and five syllable words that we seem to lose in everyday language. We hear a lot about all the words we gain every year in the new dictionaries.. (blog, internet, etc) but never realize that our language is actually losing far more than it's gaining. When the settlers first arrived in the colonies, the English language had an average of 6,000 everyday words. Our vocabulary now is around 2,000 everyday words. This isn't to say we don't use other words... but we don't use other words on the level we use those 2,000.
She uses all of these and more. Based in and around 1935, "Mockingbird" is about the coming of age for children in a Southern town filled with seemingly inescapable class characterizations, racial tension and rape. The South itself plays a large role in the language and lifestyle of characters portrayed, as well as the North's handling of the South since Reconstruction ended. I strongly recommend this book to anyone to read.
Now, once again, the all important rating:
Flow: The book flowed effortlessly through the chapters, though Harper Lee uses a definite dividing line between chapters. She ends each chapter with a good line, then starts the next seemingly (sometimes) in the middle of a story as if we'd been there the entire time. I compare it to the needle on a record player skipping. For those too young to know what that means.. think of it as a CD skipping. ;) -- 9
Believability: Since most of the book was taken from her memories as a child and the trial itself was taken from something she'd heard about in 1936, the book is definitely believable. I think the most believable thing about it, however, is the way she writes. -- 9
Suspension of Reality: You can hear, see and smell the characters. When Scout brings cold corn bread to Dill to eat, I could taste it.. though I think I was probably hungry.. Point is, when I picked the book up, I almost felt the need to tell them I'd be back later... anyway. -- 9
Intrinsics: All in all.... I don't know how much more to say about the book. I loved it. The language was mesmerizing and makes me want to read the dictionary... not just to see the words and understand them, but to know them. To put them to everyday usage. -- 10
Total: 46 of 50
Thursday, November 18, 2010
To Kill A Mockingbird
Wow, this book is long.. I don't remember "1984" being nearly this long.. nor "Swiss Family Robinson".. Here I am, inundated with information and humor and sadness and the life of a child turning into a young adult during the Depression and I'm not even halfway through. It's a great book.. and at the moment, I'd have to put it above "1984" simply for it's ability to connect and be so true to what the South was.. and is.
In the manner that "1984" was seemingly post-apocalyptic and deadly and so gritty it could turn true in a moment, "To Kill A Mockingbird" is so real and so utterly believable to be told from the eyes of a seven year old. Loiuse Jean Finch, or Scout, as most people call her in the book, is a very smart little girl. I think I love the language of the book the most, however. It isn't the talking... that is mostly Southern English, and we hear enough of that growing up. It's the narrative in the in-between parts. I'll give two examples:
"The second grade was grim, but Jem assured me that the older I got the better school would be, that he started off the same way, and it was not until one reached the sixth grade that one learned anything of value. The sixth grade seemed to please him from the beginning: he went through a brief Egyptian Period that baffled me—he tried to walk flat a great deal, sticking one arm in front of him and one in back of him, putting one foot behind the other. He declared Egyptians walked that way; I said if they did I didn’t see how they got anything done, but Jem said they accomplished more than the Americans ever did, they invented toilet paper and perpetual embalming, and asked where would we be today if they hadn’t? Atticus told me to delete the adjectives and I’d have the facts."
"For reasons unfathomable to the most experienced prophets in Maycomb County, autumn turned to winter that year. We had two weeks of the coldest weather since 1885, Atticus said. Mr. Avery said it was written on the Rosetta Stone that when children disobeyed their parents, smoked cigarettes and made war on each other, the seasons would change: Jem and I were burdened with the guilt of contributing to the aberrations of nature, thereby causing unhappiness to our neighbors and discomfort to ourselves."
It's very beautiful writing.. so I recommend it to anyone. And in this case, as is the same with many others I've read (though much more in my opinion in this case because of the exquisite prose she uses), the book is far better than the movie. You don't get this type of writing translated onto the screen. Words like unfathomable and aberrations don't translate well into picture.
That's all for now. It's time to head out to Life Group.. hope the day goes well for everyone.
In the manner that "1984" was seemingly post-apocalyptic and deadly and so gritty it could turn true in a moment, "To Kill A Mockingbird" is so real and so utterly believable to be told from the eyes of a seven year old. Loiuse Jean Finch, or Scout, as most people call her in the book, is a very smart little girl. I think I love the language of the book the most, however. It isn't the talking... that is mostly Southern English, and we hear enough of that growing up. It's the narrative in the in-between parts. I'll give two examples:
"The second grade was grim, but Jem assured me that the older I got the better school would be, that he started off the same way, and it was not until one reached the sixth grade that one learned anything of value. The sixth grade seemed to please him from the beginning: he went through a brief Egyptian Period that baffled me—he tried to walk flat a great deal, sticking one arm in front of him and one in back of him, putting one foot behind the other. He declared Egyptians walked that way; I said if they did I didn’t see how they got anything done, but Jem said they accomplished more than the Americans ever did, they invented toilet paper and perpetual embalming, and asked where would we be today if they hadn’t? Atticus told me to delete the adjectives and I’d have the facts."
"For reasons unfathomable to the most experienced prophets in Maycomb County, autumn turned to winter that year. We had two weeks of the coldest weather since 1885, Atticus said. Mr. Avery said it was written on the Rosetta Stone that when children disobeyed their parents, smoked cigarettes and made war on each other, the seasons would change: Jem and I were burdened with the guilt of contributing to the aberrations of nature, thereby causing unhappiness to our neighbors and discomfort to ourselves."
It's very beautiful writing.. so I recommend it to anyone. And in this case, as is the same with many others I've read (though much more in my opinion in this case because of the exquisite prose she uses), the book is far better than the movie. You don't get this type of writing translated onto the screen. Words like unfathomable and aberrations don't translate well into picture.
That's all for now. It's time to head out to Life Group.. hope the day goes well for everyone.
A Shiny Penny
Well, I'm going to start on the next item in my bucket list... and this one has a lot to do with getting the land to build my dream house on. Of course, this one will take a lot of help. So, I'm going to enlist everyone I can find.. (of course, you'll get some sort of recognition... somewhere down the line) but here's the plan. I'm going to trade this shiny penny for something.. and that something for something else.. and so on, until I've traded my way into that land.
When the trade is made, I'll hand deliver the object I'm trading... no matter how far, I want to meet the people helping me do this. The only requirement is the object being traded to me has to be worth just a little bit more than the item I'm trading to them. Thanks!
Now, who'll trade me something for this beautiful shiny penny? It's shiny.. and it's a penny. Not the new ones with the weird seals on the back, but an honest Abraham Lincoln memorial penny.
And just in case anyone is wondering.. the land most resembling what I'm looking for is found at this link:
http://www.kw.com/homes-for-sale/93023/CA/Ojai/100-Senior-Canyon-Road/3yd-KW-1343_10014514.html
Oh, one more caveat.. to trade, you'll need to subscribe to my blog. You want to find out what happens don't you? Subscribe to the blog and comment what you'd like to trade. Each item will have it's own post as the list grows.
When the trade is made, I'll hand deliver the object I'm trading... no matter how far, I want to meet the people helping me do this. The only requirement is the object being traded to me has to be worth just a little bit more than the item I'm trading to them. Thanks!
Now, who'll trade me something for this beautiful shiny penny? It's shiny.. and it's a penny. Not the new ones with the weird seals on the back, but an honest Abraham Lincoln memorial penny.
And just in case anyone is wondering.. the land most resembling what I'm looking for is found at this link:
http://www.kw.com/homes-for-sale/93023/CA/Ojai/100-Senior-Canyon-Road/3yd-KW-1343_10014514.html
Oh, one more caveat.. to trade, you'll need to subscribe to my blog. You want to find out what happens don't you? Subscribe to the blog and comment what you'd like to trade. Each item will have it's own post as the list grows.
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
Work
Well, my workload has increased dramatically... and I've even had an offer from a friend at church who told me he might be able to get me a job with his family's business. They have me scheduled for 41 hours this week (but I will say this much.. I need some prayer.) I don't know if it's because I'm reaching for things as I'm checking people out.. but I've stopped leaning on my shoulder (to try to help it) and it's hurting worse now.
In any case... work is good, I'm having a lot of fun. I got an email from the housing department at UTA. They have two houses I can move into this week. But I'm not sure what they entail (whether they're empty houses and I'll have to find roommates or what...) because one house is $950, the other is $875 (or somewhere around there). I was shocked. They are either stand alone houses or duplexes.. they are not on campus (so that adds a little). I think I may go down to housing and see if I can just get my name put on the list I'm supposed to be on. The houses I was actually applying for on campus is only $250 a month, so yeah, big difference.
Anyway, I'll let everyone go.. Someone told me I look like I'm writing a book when I do these.. I've started on my symphony. If anyone knows of good music software that I can use to simulate and record violins, cellos, cymbals, clarinets, orchestral equipment, etc... please let me know. Thanks! love you all.
In any case... work is good, I'm having a lot of fun. I got an email from the housing department at UTA. They have two houses I can move into this week. But I'm not sure what they entail (whether they're empty houses and I'll have to find roommates or what...) because one house is $950, the other is $875 (or somewhere around there). I was shocked. They are either stand alone houses or duplexes.. they are not on campus (so that adds a little). I think I may go down to housing and see if I can just get my name put on the list I'm supposed to be on. The houses I was actually applying for on campus is only $250 a month, so yeah, big difference.
Anyway, I'll let everyone go.. Someone told me I look like I'm writing a book when I do these.. I've started on my symphony. If anyone knows of good music software that I can use to simulate and record violins, cellos, cymbals, clarinets, orchestral equipment, etc... please let me know. Thanks! love you all.
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
Shoulder Pain and Thanksgiving
Well, it appears my Thanksgiving will be coming a bit sooner this year.. this weekend to be exact. Normally, we'd all head up to Springdale to stay in or around my Uncle Kevin and Aunt Shirley's house and meet most of the family there... this year, it looks like everyone is being pulled in all different sorts of directions and that won't be possible. Thankfully though, I'll be able to sleep in the Friday after. :)
So... that's the Thanksgiving part, now for the shoulder pain part... wow. I haven't hurt this bad in ... ever. I don't know what I did to it, but it's like someone twisted my shoulder around three times and then popped it really good with their fist. It feels a bit like a constant neck pain, like the kind when you sleep wrong and wake up not able to turn your head one way.. Well, this has gone on for several days now and it just doesn't look like there is any relief in site. I'm sure there is, and I'm sure, like everything else, this will pass.. c'est la vie.
I'm sure this isn't the wise, learned, thoughtful commentary you've been expecting to hear tonight. You pull up a blog to read some deep statement and you get a health report. Well, let's see. Let's see if I can start right now and throw something profound in here off the top of my head.
So, I was thinking about this shoulder pain thing for about five seconds and... well, honestly, I don't know what I realize but I'm going to keep typing and just show you what comes out. There is no forethought to any of this, only what my fingers type. I literally don't even have sentences formed when I'm typing. I see the very next word in line and hope it creates a complete thought when included with the one behind and before. Hm.. that worked. I have no idea how I can make some sort of parallel between my aching shoulder and some point of order in the universe... and I'm sure some of you.. or maybe none of you, will comment and say, well, you could see it as pain that you suffer through and it's indicative of the things we labor through even when it hurts to reach those things we really desire.. and all that... but I'm looking for something really deep.
Did you know there are only 1,000 tigers left in the wild? That saddens me, that we've taken some of the most beautiful creatures and destroyed them... wiped them out. It sort of draws me to the conclusion that we're regressing. We've become so adept at technology, but can anyone solve a calculus problem without pulling out their calculator? There were those in the early 19th century who could.. We have computers to spell for us, figure things out for us, we have Google to ask for definitions, synonyms, antonyms (and no, I spelled those all myself ;) )... we have GPS because it seems no one can remember directions anymore.
When was the last time someone told you, "You're going to turn left on this street, then pass four houses and then..." before you interrupted them and said, "Oh, I have it on Google maps, just give me your address.." When was the last time you just opened the door and walked into a relatives house...
One of my fondest memories is walking into Mam-maw and Pap-paw's house while they were gone.. feeling like we lived there. We didn't do that at anyone elses.. I do it at my parent's house now.. so I guess it's the same thing. But as a kid.. it was so much different... there was a red crayon jammed into the door lock from goodness knows when for probably as long or longer than I've been born... and they never bothered to change it (it's been changed recently) and we would walk in and there was always this faint smell of cooking.. or apples.. or pears.. fresh. Like they'd just been picked out of the tree. We seemed to usually arrive on Wednesday nights or Sunday nights, and they were at church when we got there. No matter how tired I was, I always wanted Mam-maw to cook me a little hamburger.. those were THE best... I wish I could cook one like that.
I remember being half-asleep, helping, or not helping, to make the bed then doing the prayer in the middle of the living room all together, with Pap-paw praying out loud... I almost always finished before he did, but even since the first time, even when I didn't know for sure, I always knew.. you waited for Pap-paw to finish before you moved.. and he'd finish and then we'd get up and go on to bed. On summer nights, he'd walk around and spray stam or some sort of mosquito repellent on the windows... and you'd lay there awake and listen to the weird sounding bugs or frogs outside.
We're so closed off now.. we have our privacy fences and our garages. Most people I know, pull into the driveway, open the garage, pull into the garage, close the garage and get out. They never even talk to their neighbors. My mom does.. but I'm not sure if that sort of neighborhood will ever exist again once my parent's generation stops.
I want to add that to my bucket list.. but I don't want to do 101 things or it'll look cheesy like.. 101 things to do when you're bored.. but my 100.0 thing to do would be to know my neighbors. Know their kids, their kid's birthdays, their birthdays, their ups and downs... ins and outs.. I want it to be said of me when I die that I brought everyone together. That I pulled for everyone to win. I want two people to be able to look at each other and say.. "If it weren't for DeJuan, I'd have never met you and now you're my best friend.. "
I don't know how to start that.. actually, I don't know how to start most of the items on my bucket list... I can't read all 100 books tonight.. I probably won't finish them in 10 years... (well, at the rate I'm going now, maybe 10 months..) but it's just a step in that direction.
And if you want to do the same.. stop rushing about so much.. talk to someone next to you on the bus, train, grocery line.. introduce yourself.. they will probably look at you funny.. but it's not because it's weird.. it's because it's uncommon! Be an uncommon person. Be a person who takes the moment and lives it... Let's not settle into out robotic modes of life.. that isn't living at all.
I'll close now.. but with a quote from one of my all time favorite movies.. Meet Joe Black. It's a quote about REALLY loving someone but I think it can be applied to almost anything in life..
"Love is passion, obsession, someone you can't live without. If you don't start with that, what are you going to end up with? Fall head over heels. I say find someone you can love like crazy and who'll love you the same way back. And how do you find him? Forget your head and listen to your heart. I'm not hearing any heart. Run the risk, if you get hurt, you'll come back. Because, the truth is there is no sense living your life without this. To make the journey and not fall deeply in love - well, you haven't lived a life at all. You have to try. Because if you haven't tried, you haven't lived."
So... that's the Thanksgiving part, now for the shoulder pain part... wow. I haven't hurt this bad in ... ever. I don't know what I did to it, but it's like someone twisted my shoulder around three times and then popped it really good with their fist. It feels a bit like a constant neck pain, like the kind when you sleep wrong and wake up not able to turn your head one way.. Well, this has gone on for several days now and it just doesn't look like there is any relief in site. I'm sure there is, and I'm sure, like everything else, this will pass.. c'est la vie.
I'm sure this isn't the wise, learned, thoughtful commentary you've been expecting to hear tonight. You pull up a blog to read some deep statement and you get a health report. Well, let's see. Let's see if I can start right now and throw something profound in here off the top of my head.
So, I was thinking about this shoulder pain thing for about five seconds and... well, honestly, I don't know what I realize but I'm going to keep typing and just show you what comes out. There is no forethought to any of this, only what my fingers type. I literally don't even have sentences formed when I'm typing. I see the very next word in line and hope it creates a complete thought when included with the one behind and before. Hm.. that worked. I have no idea how I can make some sort of parallel between my aching shoulder and some point of order in the universe... and I'm sure some of you.. or maybe none of you, will comment and say, well, you could see it as pain that you suffer through and it's indicative of the things we labor through even when it hurts to reach those things we really desire.. and all that... but I'm looking for something really deep.
Did you know there are only 1,000 tigers left in the wild? That saddens me, that we've taken some of the most beautiful creatures and destroyed them... wiped them out. It sort of draws me to the conclusion that we're regressing. We've become so adept at technology, but can anyone solve a calculus problem without pulling out their calculator? There were those in the early 19th century who could.. We have computers to spell for us, figure things out for us, we have Google to ask for definitions, synonyms, antonyms (and no, I spelled those all myself ;) )... we have GPS because it seems no one can remember directions anymore.
When was the last time someone told you, "You're going to turn left on this street, then pass four houses and then..." before you interrupted them and said, "Oh, I have it on Google maps, just give me your address.." When was the last time you just opened the door and walked into a relatives house...
One of my fondest memories is walking into Mam-maw and Pap-paw's house while they were gone.. feeling like we lived there. We didn't do that at anyone elses.. I do it at my parent's house now.. so I guess it's the same thing. But as a kid.. it was so much different... there was a red crayon jammed into the door lock from goodness knows when for probably as long or longer than I've been born... and they never bothered to change it (it's been changed recently) and we would walk in and there was always this faint smell of cooking.. or apples.. or pears.. fresh. Like they'd just been picked out of the tree. We seemed to usually arrive on Wednesday nights or Sunday nights, and they were at church when we got there. No matter how tired I was, I always wanted Mam-maw to cook me a little hamburger.. those were THE best... I wish I could cook one like that.
I remember being half-asleep, helping, or not helping, to make the bed then doing the prayer in the middle of the living room all together, with Pap-paw praying out loud... I almost always finished before he did, but even since the first time, even when I didn't know for sure, I always knew.. you waited for Pap-paw to finish before you moved.. and he'd finish and then we'd get up and go on to bed. On summer nights, he'd walk around and spray stam or some sort of mosquito repellent on the windows... and you'd lay there awake and listen to the weird sounding bugs or frogs outside.
We're so closed off now.. we have our privacy fences and our garages. Most people I know, pull into the driveway, open the garage, pull into the garage, close the garage and get out. They never even talk to their neighbors. My mom does.. but I'm not sure if that sort of neighborhood will ever exist again once my parent's generation stops.
I want to add that to my bucket list.. but I don't want to do 101 things or it'll look cheesy like.. 101 things to do when you're bored.. but my 100.0 thing to do would be to know my neighbors. Know their kids, their kid's birthdays, their birthdays, their ups and downs... ins and outs.. I want it to be said of me when I die that I brought everyone together. That I pulled for everyone to win. I want two people to be able to look at each other and say.. "If it weren't for DeJuan, I'd have never met you and now you're my best friend.. "
I don't know how to start that.. actually, I don't know how to start most of the items on my bucket list... I can't read all 100 books tonight.. I probably won't finish them in 10 years... (well, at the rate I'm going now, maybe 10 months..) but it's just a step in that direction.
And if you want to do the same.. stop rushing about so much.. talk to someone next to you on the bus, train, grocery line.. introduce yourself.. they will probably look at you funny.. but it's not because it's weird.. it's because it's uncommon! Be an uncommon person. Be a person who takes the moment and lives it... Let's not settle into out robotic modes of life.. that isn't living at all.
I'll close now.. but with a quote from one of my all time favorite movies.. Meet Joe Black. It's a quote about REALLY loving someone but I think it can be applied to almost anything in life..
"Love is passion, obsession, someone you can't live without. If you don't start with that, what are you going to end up with? Fall head over heels. I say find someone you can love like crazy and who'll love you the same way back. And how do you find him? Forget your head and listen to your heart. I'm not hearing any heart. Run the risk, if you get hurt, you'll come back. Because, the truth is there is no sense living your life without this. To make the journey and not fall deeply in love - well, you haven't lived a life at all. You have to try. Because if you haven't tried, you haven't lived."
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
1984 -- George Orwell (2)
I don't really know how to describe this book. I guess I could do so in several different ways, but I think I'll aim in two, just to narrow down the focus. Hmm.. that word coming from me in that way..
It wasn't so much punishing for the doing and stopping the doing, or forcing the doing, but causing some sort of change within the man to make him be the doing. If success is found here, there is nothing else that needs happen. If a power could change the world-view of its subjects, it would be able to remain in power indefinitely as shown in the book. During the course of the book, facts were added and changed frequently, and through a process called doublethink, the populace believed the new fact as if the old had never existed.
I can see this going on in society as a whole now. There are entire populations of people, maybe not gathered into one place (though in the age of the Internet does it really matter?) who say the Holocaust never occurred. We know it occurred. We can go and look at photographs, we can walk through the remains of the concentration camps and there are huge storylines of people who came through it and passed down the tale to their families. But for reasons as varied as the people who tell them, there are those who believe the factual occurrence never happened. And they don't say it because they want to believe it didn't happen, they believe it didn't happen. At that point, the person is an atheist in that particular belief and their world-view shapes the framework of their believing so that even in light of incredible evidence, they will stand against it.
This could be much longer, but I've already posted a few things about the book as I read, so I'll keep it short and head on to the ratings portion of the program.
Flow - 8 (I sometimes thought I'd missed a page when new chapters started. That's why I didn't give it a 10)
Believability - 9
Suspension of Reality - 7
Message - 10
Intrinsics - 8
Total - 42 of 50
Back in high school, I'd played the part of O'Brien's servant in the school play, though the screenplay of this seemed far different than the actual novel. Now, thinking back, I imagine it probably wasn't, though I'm a little older now and understand quite a bit more than I did then about the subtle meanings and differences placed in the books. I even now understand what happens after the "The End". He tells you if you read carefully enough.
So for now, barring any masterful performances by other novels, I'll place this one at number 2. I'm sure something will pull a 45 out of 50.. but I'm trying to be strict in my ratings and have an actual reasoning to give it the numbers I do.
Politically, it seems almost as if this book is slowly materializing, or has already and maybe always has been materialized in and among anyone sitting under any form of government. Most governments, however well they hide the secret of the fact, devise some means to control the thought processes of those under its rule. In the book, a quote that stuck out to me (among hundreds of others) was one O'Brien says while Winston is being tortured:
It wasn't so much punishing for the doing and stopping the doing, or forcing the doing, but causing some sort of change within the man to make him be the doing. If success is found here, there is nothing else that needs happen. If a power could change the world-view of its subjects, it would be able to remain in power indefinitely as shown in the book. During the course of the book, facts were added and changed frequently, and through a process called doublethink, the populace believed the new fact as if the old had never existed.
I can see this going on in society as a whole now. There are entire populations of people, maybe not gathered into one place (though in the age of the Internet does it really matter?) who say the Holocaust never occurred. We know it occurred. We can go and look at photographs, we can walk through the remains of the concentration camps and there are huge storylines of people who came through it and passed down the tale to their families. But for reasons as varied as the people who tell them, there are those who believe the factual occurrence never happened. And they don't say it because they want to believe it didn't happen, they believe it didn't happen. At that point, the person is an atheist in that particular belief and their world-view shapes the framework of their believing so that even in light of incredible evidence, they will stand against it.
This could be much longer, but I've already posted a few things about the book as I read, so I'll keep it short and head on to the ratings portion of the program.
Flow - 8 (I sometimes thought I'd missed a page when new chapters started. That's why I didn't give it a 10)
Believability - 9
Suspension of Reality - 7
Message - 10
Intrinsics - 8
Total - 42 of 50
Back in high school, I'd played the part of O'Brien's servant in the school play, though the screenplay of this seemed far different than the actual novel. Now, thinking back, I imagine it probably wasn't, though I'm a little older now and understand quite a bit more than I did then about the subtle meanings and differences placed in the books. I even now understand what happens after the "The End". He tells you if you read carefully enough.
So for now, barring any masterful performances by other novels, I'll place this one at number 2. I'm sure something will pull a 45 out of 50.. but I'm trying to be strict in my ratings and have an actual reasoning to give it the numbers I do.
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